After 10 Years Of Trying, Lackey's Kowgirls Prevail

Sports Osceola Sports

It's time to stand up and cheer for Osceola High School's volleyball team.

Osceola defeated Leesburg, Seminole and St. Cloud last week to win the school's first Class AAA, District 6 championship, a success that had eluded Kowgirls Coach Charlene Lackey for a decade.

Oviedo, which was reclassified this year to a Class AAAA district, dominated AAA-6 from 1983-88, winning six consecutive championships.

''With Oviedo out, it gave everybody else a real chance,'' Lackey said. ''For a change, it was nice going into the districts knowing that we could play our best and not have to worry about getting wiped out, which is what Oviedo did to us twice.''

A wild celebration overflowed onto the court Thursday after Foster's kill closed the door on St. Cloud in the title game.

''I thought, 'Oh, my God!' and the place went crazy, just like at a football game. Everybody was on the court, smiling, yelling, whooping it up big time.

''It seemed crazy for a million years.''

But those championship cheers and back-slapping good times have been a long time coming for Lackey, who is savoring every moment.

''It's wonderful,'' she said. ''I don't think I've ever gotten this excited. I can't imagine drugs getting anybody as high as I was.''

Lackey said her championship will be ''one of the best moments of my life. It ranks up there with marriage and having kids.''

Her first of three children was six months old and Lackey was six months pregnant with No. 2 in 1979 when she was asked to lend a hand with Osceola's volleyball program.

''I was in a teachers' meeting when they introduced the new varsity coach,'' Lackey said. ''I was looking around the room for her when I suddenly realized it was me.

''The next week I learned how to drive a school bus and, a week later, was driving the football team to games.''

Finally, in 1989, she has driven a close-knit mix of veterans and rookies to a happy ending.

Although Lackey wanted the district championship for the team, her players' motivation stemmed from another source.

''We wanted to win it for Coach Lackey,'' said Gray, a senior and team captain. ''We talked about it all year and we did it.

''Coach Lackey is a special person to us. She's like our mother. Whenever things get tough, she knows what to say to keep us loose. This championship is for her.''

Thomas, a senior, said the most important aspect of Lackey's leadership is the character she instills in players.

''Coach Lackey wants to dream. She has taught us to believe in ourselves,'' Thomas said. ''She tells us that we can do and have anything - if we want it bad enough.''

''After watching what Seminole did to a very fine Gateway team, we were scared going into Wednesday night,'' Lackey said. ''They played simply awesome. Seminole came out of the woodwork to play like I hadn't seen them play all year, but I guess they used up a lot of gasoline because they didn't play as well against us.''

But it was St. Cloud that pushed Osceola's character to the limit.

The first two games were a preview of the main feature - game three, a classic that long will be remembered. Both teams rode the ebb and flow of emotion typically associated with championship competition.

Osceola took command early, only to see St. Cloud rally.

Suddenly, with the game tied at 12, the match became a test of will.

''It seemed like the game was suspended in time,'' Gray said. ''I think everyone felt that whoever blinked would lose.''

St. Cloud blinked first.

No sooner had the Bulldogs taken a 13-12 lead than the ball and the game settled into Gray's hands.

Gray responded by serving three winners and the rest, as they say, is history.

''We wanted this game badly,'' said Smith, a junior. ''The team kept its poise and we never got down on ourselves. We owe a lot to Coach Lackey. She had us prepared to win.''

St. Cloud Coach Terri Holmes had nothing but praise for Osceola.

''I congratulate Osceola on a fine match. Coach Lackey did a fine job with her girls,'' Holmes said. ''Although we didn't win, it's nice to know the two best teams in this district are both in the same county.''

Success works as its own measuring stick. Lackey said she has never coached a better team.

''I've had teams with more talent, but none that can play together as well as this one has,'' she said. ''The better talent didn't necessarily have the ability to use it.''